This is the rubber match between Green Bay and Chicago after splitting the season series. The Bears won the division, capturing their first NFC North title since the 2018 season. Green Bay limps into the postseason having dropped its final four games to close out the regular season, but may have received the best draw possible in a familiar opponent like the Bears.
Quarterback Jordan Love is set to return from a concussion that sidelined him during the last meeting with Chicago in Week 16. Love missed the last two games of the season due to the injury. Without Micah Parsons leading the defense, they’ve looked different down the stretch of the season, but they can turn all that around with a wild-card win over their biggest rival.
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Chicago is riding high after finishing first in its division in Ben Johnson’s first year as head coach. It marks the first NFC North title, double-digit win (11-6) season and playoff appearance for the Bears since Matt Nagy led the team there in 2018. Quarterback Caleb Williams had a breakthrough year, passing for 3,942 yards to set a new franchise single-season passing record. The Bears’ sixth-best offense (total yards) will need to be at its most explosive for Chicago to notch its first playoff win since the 2010 season.
Packers-Bears start time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Soldier Field | Chicago
TV channel, live stream: Prime Video
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the Packers travel to face the Bears for their third meeting of the season — this time, a win-or-go-home matchup in the wild card:
Live5 updatesSat, January 10, 2026 at 4:45 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
It’s almost that time! The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears are nearly ready to kick off Saturday night’s wild-card matchup set for 8 p.m. ET, airing live on Amazon Prime Video and streaming on NFL+.
Sat, January 10, 2026 at 4:29 PM PST
Ian Casselberry
Jordan Love returns at QB for the Packers tonight after missing Green Bay’s final two regular-season games due to a concussion.
In his absence, the Packers went 0-2 adding to a four-game losing streak to end their season. In Week 17’s loss to the Ravens, Malik Willis passed for 288 yards and a touchdown. But in the Week 18 finale, Clayton Tune completed only 6 of 11 passes for 31 yards. Green Bay lost to the Vikings, 16-3.
Asked this week if he was worried about not playing since Week 16, Love said, “I don’t have any concern about that.”
Sat, January 10, 2026 at 4:09 PM PST
Ian Casselberry
As if tonight’s wild-card playoff game didn’t promise to be fun enough, the Packers and Bears could play under classic NFC North conditions.
Sat, January 10, 2026 at 3:58 PM PST
Kate Magdziuk
The Chicago Bears will get back a key contributor on offense in the wild card, as second-year wide receiver Rome Odunze looks to make a return from a foot injury that’s held him out since Week 13’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Odunze attempted a return from the injury against the Cleveland Browns back in Week 14 but aggravated the injury in pregame warmups. He was suddenly named a late scratch just ahead of kickoff — much to the dismay of fantasy football managers looking to get him back into the lineup.
In just 12 games played this year, Odunze has doubled his receiving touchdown production (6) compared to his rookie campaign (3), seeing an increase in receptions and receiving yards per game, as well as an increase in efficiency with a 15.0 yards per reception average.
Since Week 14, rookie tight end Colston Loveland has led the team with 38 targets, followed by rookie wideout Luther Burden at 21.
Sat, January 10, 2026 at 3:40 PM PST
Kate Magdziuk
With less than 90 minutes remaining until the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears kick off their wild-card matchup, each team has announced its inactives for gameday.
Here’s a look:
Packers inactives
QB Desmond Ridder (emergency 3rd QB)
Bears inactives
QB Case Keenum (emergency 3rd QB)